Fall slipped quietly into Memphis this past Saturday. But even though the leaves on the trees haven't started to change, one of the first signs that summer is officially gone arrived last Thursday.
Any night through this coming Sunday if you travel about two miles west from campus on Southern, on your right you will see the looming ferris wheel, glowing sky and snarled traffic that can mean only one thing: the 145th Mid-South Fair is here.
One of the top 50 fairs in the country, the Mid-South Fair is an extravaganza of food, rides, exhibits and entertainment, spread over 176 acres. Wednesday and Thursday are wristband nights, when fairgoers can ride all the rides until 10 p.m. while wearing a wristband purchased for $14. Free mainstage concerts those two nights feature Cowboy Mouth and the North Mississippi Allstars.
This year the Shelby County/Transportation building contains sporting activities, boat and truck displays, professional wrestler Jerry Lawler and even a rattlesnake exhibit.
These exhibits were booked in response to a survey done by fair management that showed a major demographic group of fairgoers was comprised of males aged 18-24, according to Cindy Cover, exhibits director.
"Videotopia," a 4,500 square foot interactive history of video games is located in the Charles Brakefield building. This new addition to the fair allows you to play video games from the early pinball machines and Pacman games to the latest in video technology.
In the Pipkin building, there is a large display by the City of Memphis that contains, among other things, several large spiders from the Memphis Zoo.
A backdrop of the New York City skyline and a model of the Statue of Liberty located behind the Republican and Democratic Party tables, have a special poignancy since the developments of Sept. 11, as does the Memphis Fire Department exhibit with its black bow over a plaque containing the names of firefighters lost in the line of duty.
In response to the events of the last few weeks, there have been a few security changes, according to Lt. G. Pevy of the Memphis Police Department.
Although there has always been a significant police presence at the fair, he said there is a heightened sense of awareness among the officers and they are now conducting searches of bags brought in by fair visitors.
But, all in all, he said things have actually been even calmer this year than usual.
In the days following the World Trade Center tragedy there was concern among the fair staff about whether or not it was even appropriate to go on with the fair.
According to Ron Hardin, general manager of the fair, the decision was made to go ahead as the country rallied together.
“We have never knuckled under anybody before and we're not going to start now," he said.
So, if you're looking for something to do that has a definite American flavor to it, make the short trip to the Mid-South Fair, have a corn dog, a funnel cake and some cotton candy, and experience something that Mid-Southerners have been enjoying for the past 145 years.
Tickets are $7 for everyone over 48 inches tall and $3 for anyone under 48 inches tall. Children three and younger are free and parking on the fairground lots is free this year.
